'Shamshera' review: Ranbir Kapoor's film is best viewed with ear plugs on

Filmmaker Karan Malhotra's 'Shamshera' marks Ranbir Kapoor's comeback to screen after four long years. The last time he came on the big screen, it was for Rajkumar Hirani's extremely whitewashed 'Sanju' - a biopic on Sanjay Dutt where Kapoor picked up the actor's mannerisms to perfection. Four years later, in 'Shamshera', Kapoor and Dutt are pitted against each other. Kapoor plays a character inspired by Robinhood while Dutt plays an extension of one of his previous screen characters Kancha Cheena in 'Agneepath'- which incidentally was directed by Malhotra. Considering Kapoor has often been praised for his choice of films and his acting prowess, there has been a lot of expectation from 'Shamshera'. It, after all, comes at a time when Kapoor is in news for his personal life and Kapoor's new avatar as the bearded dacoit in pre-independent India seems timely as the actor is set to embrace fatherhood in his personal life. 

What is 'Shamshera' about?

First thing first. For those who saw the 'Shamshera' trailer and drew a comparison with YRF's colossal dud 'Thugs Of Hindostan'- Ranbir Kapoor's film isn't that unbearable. Written by Karan Malhotra and Khila Bisht, 'Shamshera' talks of a fictitious cast/tribe called Khameran. For years the community has been brutalized and ousted from various kingdoms. To survive amid extreme poverty and exploitation, its leader Shamshera (Ranbir Kapoor ) has been plundering the rich and sustaining his community. The local police of the area, Shuddh Singh (Sanjay Dutt ) an upper cast himself, convinces Shamshera to surrender to the British authorities as a form of freedom from all atrocities and live a respectful life with his herd in the fort of Kaza ( fictitious town, of course) which originally belonged the Khamerans. While Shamshera surrenders, Shuddh Singh along with the British officials devises a plan to hold them captive inside the Kaza fort. Shamshera dies fighting for the freedom of his people. 25 years later, his son Balli (Kapoor in a double role), born under Shuddh Singh's autocratic rule of Kaza, harbours dreams of escaping to the world outside the fort.

As Balli understands the reality of Shuddh Singh, he manages to escape only to gather some exiled members of the Khameran community and build an army to reclaim the freedom that his father had once dreamt of. 

The film is marred by its length

With a run time of three hours, 'Shamshera' takes ages to establish itself. Till interval, I was trying to understand whether the story was of revenge or of finding freedom or an action-adventure. Set in the 1890s, the film very gingerly touches upon the caste system, class divide, and how the British rule changed when it directly came under the rule of the Queen. I would have liked it if these said themes were explored in detail which would have perhaps given the story more gravitas. Instead, Malhotra steers clear of going deeper and concentrates to show Kapoor in an all-new macho avatar. Sure, that works too if the screenplay was taut and less melodramatic, which 'Shamshera' is not.

Bollywood has an inherent problem to indulge in melodrama when it comes to period stories. Who said, that melodrama was a common feature back in the day? Why is it taken for granted that a period film has to be inundated by illogical plot points and extreme levels of drama? Kapoor tries to play the older Shamshera and the younger Balli differently and succeeds to a great extent. The film is mounted on a grand scale and Kapoor gets a platform to showcase his versatility and he never disappoints. But the film still seems like an ordeal, for it takes too long to establish a story, then more time to get on to the final act. At so many moments, I kept wondering, "Oh we are not done yet," or "Oh this guy is still alive?".

Even if one indulges in Malhotra's fictitious story, one can't look away from the film being very loud. Sanjay Dutt's character in Shamshera is shown to be an evil, madman obsessed with brutalising the Khamerans. I got to see Dutt's molars and pre-molars on so many occasions through three hours of the film's runtime- because the man entered the screen mostly screaming with his mouth wide open. During the climax, every key character screams 'Billaaa!' at least once. Everyone is screaming, in pain, in lust, in anguish, and in happiness throughout the film. So it is safe to carry earplugs along with you. 

The performances in 'Shamshera'

'Shamshera' features credible actors like Saurabh Shukla, Ronit Bose Roy, Iravati Harshe and Vaani Kapoor who never get enough scope to perform. Shukla's character speaks annoyingly in limericks and rhymes while Bose and Harshe resort to grunting mostly. Vani plays Sona a dancer, whose character is similar to Katrina Kaif's in 'Thugs Of Hindostan'. She is also the love interest and appears mostly in the songs. Vani Kapoor has in the past proved she can act provided she is given a meaty role but in 'Shamshera' she is mostly there to add glamour to the film. 

Ultimately, it is upon Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt to prove their mettle and take the flawed story forward. While it's refreshing to see Kapoor step out of his usual rich-boy-coming-of-age character and do something hatke, it doesn't quite add up. Dutt is loud throughout the film and it's torturous to watch him. Hams through his part and is aided with bizarre, creepy background score specially made for his character. 

The songs by Mithoon are easily forgettable except for 'Fitoor' and 'Ji Huzoor'- both of which are very well picturised in the film. The film also has some breathtaking aerial shots of Ladakh which are praiseworthy. 

Does 'Shamshera' work? No. Despite Ranbir Kapoor's effervescent charm, it fails so miserably. Primarily because it is melodramatic, it is long and loud and it tries to take inspiration from multiple films of the same genre. I found references to 'Bahubali,' 'Thugs of Hindostan,' and even 'Mad Max Fury Road'. More importantly, does it mean, it is the end of the road for Ranbir Kapoor? Not quite, he is still a great actor who will thrive in Bollywood with some interesting films lined up but 'Shamshera' sure feels like a nail in the coffin for its producer Yash Raj Films, who have been producing duds one after the other for quite some time now.